The Trick Stair
by Zenelia
Summary: Lily gets stuck to the floor by a trick stair. James, who just happens to be there, gets her talking. What ensues? LJ Fluff. Rated T for safety.


**A/N**: Welp. I'm back! Sorry for no updates for a while — my internet went out, so I couldn't get the files up here. But the problem is fixed, so yay! I've got a few things I need to post here, but I'll have to go revise them. This is the first I wanted to post, since it's been in my computer the longest. Just more JamesLily fluff :D Enjoy!

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"Potter. I would appreciate it if you would just _go away._" Lily was exasperated. How could he be so persistent, despite her threats to hex him if he didn't leave her alone? She mentally rolled her eyes.

"Well, I don't want too." James retorted.

This time, Lily actually rolled her eyes. "And it's all about you, of course. But you're going to have to face up to your disappointment; I have somewhere to be, and you can't come."

"Oh, really? And where's that at?"

"It's not 'at' anywhere, Potter. You can't end a sentence with a preposition. It's not proper grammar." Lily thought she was quite clever in how she chose to avoid the question she was asked.

"Meh? What's this 'preposition' you speak of?"

"It's a part of speech. But that's beside the point! I don't have time to teach you proper English. I have to go! And don't you follow me, or I'll hex you!" With that, Lily took off. Or, she attempted too.

"What? Why is my foot stuck?" She asked, not talking to anyone particular. She was just making an observation.

"You stepped on a trick stair back on the stair case. All it does is make your foot stick to the floor at random places. It won't go away until you take off your shoes." James provided a portion of his vast knowledge of Hogwarts castle, trying to help.

"Why thank you for your much asked for advice! I would've never made it through without you." Lily said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and acidity.

"You're welcome. Glad to be of assistance." James was unphased. He knew she was being sarcastic, but chose to act as if she were sincere.

Lily struggled for a bit longer and then she sighed. _I hate this._ "Potter?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know how I can get my foot unstuck?" She hated having to condone to asking for his help.

"I already told you, Lily-flower. Take off your shoes." James said, as if explaining something to a small child. He was patient, though, because he knew she hadn't been listening to him the first time.

"Is that really the _only_ way?"

"That I know of."

"Fine." Lily humpfed as she bent over to untie her shoe. She was having a hard time balancing, and she promptly let out a screech as she fell over.

"Lily-flower! Are you okay?" James, who had been having a hard time ignoring the 'view', jumped into action as his love tumbled near his feet. He crouched down beside her to make sure she was unharmed.

"No, I am not okay. For one, you won't leave me alone. For two, both my feet are now stuck to the floor. For three, I've made an utter fool of myself twice tonight! Would you be okay after all of that? Ugh!" Lily, dejected, buried her face in her hands.

"Hey, hey. Now, could it really have been that bad?" James asked as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

"Yes." Her voice was muffled through her arms and from being buried in his chest.

"I don't believe that." James said. He reluctantly let go of her, and shifted himself around to her feet.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked, wiping her face on her sleeve.

"Helping you." He replied as he began to unknot her shoelaces. Soon she was in her sock feet, and her shoes were being picked off the floor.

"Thanks." Lily said, somewhat sheepish.

"No problem." James half shrugged, but he smiled all the same. He was ecstatic just to have Lily alone with him without them yelling at each other.

"Why are you always so happy-go-lucky?" Lily asked, as she curled up on herself, still sitting in the floor. She had forgotten that she had an 'urgent' place to get to – it was, in all actuality, a place she had fabricated to get away from him. She had been planning on hiding in the 7th year girl's dormitory until he got bored and left so she could sneak into the Head dorms.

"Uhm . . . Well, I would love to answer that question, Lily-flower, but I'm not quite sure what you mean." James's eyebrows knitted together as he thought it through. "_Happy-go-lucky?_"_ What ever could _that _mean? _He thought as he waited for an answer.

"Oh, you know. Always optimistic, never having anything to bring you down. . ." Lily felt her face heat up with embarrassment. She suddenly felt like such a prat asking that. Having to explain it didn't help things, either.

"Oh! Of course! Now I know what you meant. And I'm not always like that. I just try to look on the bright side of life, ya know, try to find the good things, even in the worst of times." The way James spoke, you would think he didn't think anything of it. But it struck Lily, especially as something profound, and very much like something the James Potter she was acquainted with would _never _say.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" She muttered, half to him, and half to herself.

"Hmmm, I would say so, yes." James smiled wide.

They sat there for a few minutes in utter silence. Lily was lost in her own thoughts, and James was staying quiet so as to not disturb her. He sat back against the wall, opposite her, and just looked about contentedly.

Then, Lily sighed, and started to get up. James scrambled to his feet, too late to try and help her up, and realized he still had her shoes.

"Here, these might be more use to you than they would me. You have tiny feet." He said jovially, holding the shoes out by their laces for Lily to grab.

"My feet aren't that small." Lily said defensively, but she blushed, betraying what she really thought.

"Didn't you have an 'urgent place' to get to?" James asked as they walked in the general direction of the Head dorms.

Lily blushed again. "Uhm, yes. But I guess I can make it up later." She said, hoping her lie was as smooth as she thought it was. She was never that good at pulling the wool over someone's eyes.

"Oh. Well that's good." James replied airily. He was beginning to suspect something, but he wasn't going to say anything about it.

"Yes." Lily said simply.

"Since we're already walking together, do you want to walk back to our dorms together?" James asked hopefully. He figured since they basically were walking together, he'd make it official.

"I was under the impression that we already were." Lily said, as she stopped to put her shoes back on, deeming it far enough from that trick staircase that she wouldn't get stuck on the floor again.

"Ah, okay." James said, smiling. Lily didn't see it.

After some slow walking and a few moments later, Lily said, "Potter?"

"Yes?"

Lily looked up at him. He towered over her by at least a foot, and she had to slightly crane her neck to look at him properly. Changing her mind, she said, "Never mind."

"No, what is it?" James was always a stubborn person. Not to mention persistent.

"You're going to laugh at me and make fun of me for a long while if I tell you." Lily said, crossing her arms and putting on an about face.

"No I won't."

Lily looked up at him again. "Promise?"

"Of course."

"Why did you stop asking me out?" Lily was barely brave enough to ask the question. She was a Gryffindor, though, so she managed to get it out.

By now, they were standing outside the portrait that led into the Head dorms. James had his mouth open to say the password, but his brain froze — along with his entire body — when he processed what Lily had just said.

"Uhm. Excuse me? I thought you didn't like me asking you out constantly. That was one of the reasons I stopped. That, and you always said no, so it finally clicked in my brain that it was a lost cause." James said, blinking rapidly, trying to figure out what god was blessing him enough to be letting him have this conversation with Lily Evans, the love of his life.

"Well, it did annoy me. Immensely so." Lily looked down as she talked. "But it caught my attention when you stopped. And I . . . well, I kind of miss it." Lily murmured, trying not to be too embarrassed at admitting this.

This threw James off even more. "You _miss_ it?" His voice was quiet, incredulous. He could hardly believe it.

"Well. Yes." Lily finally looked up at him, and saw his face. His mouth was slightly agape, and his eyes were wide behind his glasses.

"Well I can give it back to you, ya know." James said, not really knowing it. He was just looking for something to say to keep her there, instead of scaring her off.

"Really?" Lily looked hopeful.

"Yes." James smiled, the shock wearing off. "Will you go out with me?"

Lily, who had liked James since the beginning of that year and kept denying it to herself and everyone around her, got a mischievous smile on her face. "I'll have to think about it."

James, who wasn't in the mood to call a bluff, gave her a look at turned to say the password to get into the Head dorms.

"James!" Lily said, grabbing his arm as they shoved their way through the portrait hole. (James had started to go in first, then Lily followed too soon, and they got tangled.)

That probably shocked James more than anything else had that night. Lily _never_ called him by his given name. "What?" He asked.

"Yes." She said.

"Yes wha — wait a minute. Really?" James could hardly believe his luck.

"Yes, really." Lily verified, stepping closer to him, then wrapping her arms around his slender waist.

"Finally." James all but whispered, wrapping his arms around Lily, and nestling his face in her hair.

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**A/N**: Did you like? Yes? I hope so. Reviews make me happy :]

-Zenelia*Sky


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